Atorvastatin, Aspirin, Oxidative Stress, Coagulation and Platelet Activation Indexes

Summary

Primary and secondary prevention trials with statins, as well as with antiplatelet, clearly demonstrated that these drugs are able to reduce cardiovascular events. Even if the principal mechanism of action of statins is to lower cholesterol, other effects, the so-called pleiotropic effects, have been considered as adjunctive properties potentially accounting for the anti-atherosclerotic effect of statins. Inhibition of oxidative stress may be considered an intriguing pleiotropic effect in view of the fact that oxidative stress is thought to be a key event in the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic disease. Reduction of several markers of oxidative stress including isoprostanes, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and nitrotyrosine have been observed after statin treatment. NADPH oxidase is among the most important sources of reactive oxygen species involved in atherosclerotic disease. The investigators developed an ELISA to evaluate serum levels of soluble-gp91phox, the catalytic core of phagocyte NADPH oxidase. Recently the investigators showed that statins (30 days treatment) exert an antioxidant effect via inhibition of soluble gp91phox expression. The exact mechanism by which atorvastatin reduces NADPH oxidase, however, is unclear. Recent study showed that statin treatment inhibits leukocyte ROCK activity, a protein kinase implicated in the activation of NADPH oxidase, with a mechanism that seems to be independent from lowering cholesterol. To further study the mechanism(s) implicate in gp91phox downregulation by statin the investigators planned the present study in patients with high risk of vascular events such as hypercholesterolemic and Type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients. In addition the investigators want to evaluate the synergistic role of atorvastatin with aspirin treatment.

Timeline

Start

2011-03

Primary completion

2015-10

Completion

2015-12

Publications

• Background Carnevale R, Pignatelli P, Di Santo S, Bartimoccia S, Sanguigni V, Napoleone L, Tanzilli G, Basili S, Violi F. Atorvastatin inhibits oxidative stress via adiponectin-mediated NADPH oxidase down-regulation in hypercholesterolemic patients. Atherosclerosis. 2010 Nov;213(1):225-34. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.08.056. Epub 2010 Aug 19.
• Background Pignatelli P, Carnevale R, Cangemi R, Loffredo L, Sanguigni V, Stefanutti C, Basili S, Violi F. Atorvastatin inhibits gp91phox circulating levels in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2010 Feb;30(2):360-7. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.109.198622. Epub 2009 Dec 3.
• Pignatelli P, Carnevale R, Pastori D, Cangemi R, Napoleone L, Bartimoccia S, Nocella C, Basili S, Violi F. Immediate antioxidant and antiplatelet effect of atorvastatin via inhibition of Nox2. Circulation. 2012 Jul 3;126(1):92-103. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.095554. Epub 2012 May 21.

Drugs

Indications